This new
Method being based upon Col. Blands Treatise of
1727, with Improvements & Abridgements conceived to better
serve the particular Needs of His Majestys Forces,
presently engaged in Great Britain in ridding that fair Kingdom
and its Subjects of the Ravages & Importunities of a

FOREIGN
USURPER!

B.
Carpenter & Sons, Edinburgh

Explanation

This new plan for
instructing the Foot in a manual of arms, marching evolutions,
and the firing exercise, is conceived for the purpose of giving
the officers of battalion and company the means of quickly
managing bodies of raw and otherwise unregulated militia and
levies. Our Highlanders and many townsmen as well, are unfamiliar
with the extensive schooling under arms of the regular soldier,
and a simplified means is called for to instill in these our men
the knowledge required of them to prevail in the field against
our common enemy.

The Exercise is based
upon that now in common usage by regular forces in Great Britain
and Ireland. However, it is somewhat shortened and abbreviated to
suit our simpler needs, with many extraneous or otherwise
unnecessary commands eliminated. As an example, when going from
the position of Shoulder Firelocks to Poise Firelocks, the
interim command: "Join your Right Hand to your
Firelocks" is put aside as not needed. In addition, the
numerous separate commands regarding the loading sequence of the
firelock musket  which we see in the regular manual
exercise  are done away with, all of these motions being
performed independently upon receiving the command "Prime
and Load."

Similarly, the various
movements and commands employed for the fixing and use of the
bayonet are likewise deleted. The very few numbers of bayonets in
the possession of our men eliminates the need to vex them with a
purposeless set of evolutions.

Part the
First

The
Position of a Soldier under Arms

The word of command to
assemble the men is: "Stand to your arms!" or
simply "Stand to!" Upon hearing the order, each
man will fall into his place in ranks with all his proper
accouterments, and assume the correct position, viz. at attention
with firelock at the Shoulder, the lock at half-cock with the pan
shut. The firelocks will be clean and in good order, with
hammer-stalls and flash-guards affixed.

Those men without
firelocks and armed with polearms, will likewise fall in to place
with weapons at the shoulder, and adhere to the motions of the
Manual Exercise with their fusilier fellows. Men not armed with
firelocks will not be placed in the front rank. Part the Fifth
explains the proper formation of companies and the battalion.

Part the
Second

The
Manual Exercise

Here follows the
sequence of the manual drill. The command of execution appears in
bold type. The exercise commences by bringing the men to
attention:

Take
Care

Poise
your Firelock

Order
your Firelock

Ground
your Firelock

Take up
your Firelock

Poise
your Firelock

Shoulder
your Firelock

Rest
your Firelock

Trail
your Firelock

Shoulder
your Firelock

Present
your Arms

Poise
your Firelock

Rest on
your Arms

Additional motions and
commands specific to the Firing Exercise will be presented in the
Fourth Part.

Part the
Third

Facings
& Marching Maneuvers in Line & Column

The men being formed in
their two ranks (see the Fifth Part), must be able to carry out
marching evolutions in both Line of Battle and Column of March.
The disposition upon falling in is always that of the Line. The
Facings alter the orientation from line to column and vice
versa.

Face to
the Right

Face to
the Left

Face to
the Right About

To the
Left About As You Were

The
marching commands while in a Line of Battle are as follows.

Take
Care

To the
front March

To the
rear March

By the
right wheel March

By the
left wheel March

By the
right oblique March

By the
left oblique March

Take
Care

Halt

The
commands used while in Column of March are as follows.

Take
Care

To the
front March

By the
right turn March

By the
left turn March

Countermarch,
by the right turn March

Countermarch,
by the left turn March

By the
right oblique March

By the
left oblique March

Take
Care

Halt

In all marching
maneuvers the men are to step off with the left foot, and keep to
the proper step, preferably to the beat of a drum. While most
often the evolutions will be executed in Common Time, at need the
Double Time or the Run may be employed. The correct alignment of
rank and file is to be maintained at all rates of marching,
however rapid.

On occasion the nature
of the ground being passed over may render keeping a proper step
impracticable. To ease the men, the commanding officer may then
order:

March
at will

Upon reaching easier
ground, the column may be brought into proper step again with:

To the
step March

Part the
Fourth

The
Firing Exercise

Three ranks is the
usual practice when forming the Line of Battle, but owing to our
insufficient numbers, the companies will form their lines with
TWO RANKS of equal numbers. In the case of an odd number of men,
the odd man will be placed in the front rank. Company officers
will seek to ensure that any man not armed with a firelock will
be placed in the rear rank, if sufficient numbers of fusiliers
are available for a complete front rank. In addition, men armed
with carbine-length or other short-barreled firelocks must always
be in the front rank.

Firing is nearly always
done by company rather than by battalion. Battalion volleys are
not the usual practice, as this empties all of the pieces at
once. A continual volume of fire by the individual companies is
more desirable.

When the men are
desired to load their pieces, the command will be:

Prime
and Load

Upon this order, the
men will draw and open their cartridges, prime and then shut
their pans, cast about so the muzzles face forward and upward,
then load the main charge. When finished loading, each man will
bring his piece up to the RECOVER position as an indication to
the company officers that he has completed loading. At the
RECOVER, the firelock is held up close before the breast in both
hands, with right thumb on the cock.

When the battalion
commander desires the companies to commence firing, his command
will be:

Battalion,
Give Fire

At this point, the
company commanders conduct the fire of their several companies
with the following commands.

Make
Ready

(Upon
this order, each man will half-turn to the right and box his
feet, with the hollow of the right foot close behind the heel of
the left, at the same time cocking his piece while keeping it in
the vertical position.)

Present

(Here
each man brings the butt of his firelock to his right shoulder,
levels it and takes his aim.)

Fire

(Each
man briskly draws his trigger and discharges his piece, then
maintains that position, with firelock leveled, until the
following command.)

Recover
your Arms

(Each
man comes back to the Recover, as described above.)

Prime
and Load

(The
sequence of movements now repeats itself as described.)

When the battalion
commander wishes to suspend the firing of the companies, he will
command:

Battalion
Cease Firing

Addendum to
the Fourth Part

Motions
& Commands Unique to our Highland Regiments

When the battalion
commander wishes to rush vigorously upon the enemy in the old
Highland manner, he will command:

Claymore

The men will ground
their firelocks as in the Manual Exercise, draw their swords, and
unsling their targes. Men without swords will club their
firelocks, or fix bayonets if in possession of one. Those with
polearms will of course maintain their hold on their weapons. The
command will then be:

Forward

While the advance is
conducted at a run, the officers and men should somewhat attempt
to maintain the integrity of the line, so as to fall upon the
enemy in a body rather than with individuals unsupported by their
fellows. The Charge, while often effective, has the unfortunate
result of scattering the men and making the assembling of them
back into their ranks a near impossibility, especially in those
situations where the enemy is not broken and a swift rally is
required.

Part the
Fifth

Forming
the Battalion

The figure depicts a
battalion of Foot drawn up for parade. This is the primary
formation from which all others are derived, and is the manner in
which the companies will fall in when the order to "Stand to
your Arms" is given.

The Captain of each
company will stand to the front and center of his command.
Lieutenants and other junior officers will stand in the rear,
forming a partial third rank. The men will be drawn up in their
two ranks, with Sergeants placed in the front rank on each
flanking end, and Corporals interspersed to provide stability to
their platoons.

The Colour Section will
be under the command of the Colour Sergeant, and be comprised of
any stands of Colours, and Colour Guard of well armed men who
have shown themselves to be dutiful, courageous, and reliable
soldiers. The Music will be incorporated in this section, as
well. The Colours will be placed in the center of the battalion.
If there are an odd number of companies, the Colours will be
placed to the right of the center company.

A proper interval will
be maintained between each company, that being a space of two
men. When facing right into a Column of March, the interval must
also be kept in place.

When the line is
engaged with the enemy, the Captains will take a position in the
rear of, or on the right flank of their companies, whichever they
consider most convenient to direct their mens fire.